A statement released Tuesday announced that three West African countries under military rule are collaborating with Russia to launch at least two satellites into space.
Colonel Assimi Goita, the president of Mali and the current chair of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), held discussions about the project with Ilya Tarasenko, the head of Russian space company Glavkosmos, and officials from Niger and Burkina Faso in Mali’s capital Bamako on Monday.
According to the statement, the project is a response to the region’s sovereignty, security, and development challenges. The AES, formed in September, is an alliance of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger that withdrew from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) last year.
The statement noted that the satellites, one for communications and another for remote sensing, are intended to enhance digital infrastructure by improving internet coverage and enabling radio and television broadcasting in the AES countries.
The earth observation satellites will also supply high-resolution satellite imagery for agriculture, health, education, security, and defence sectors, particularly for border control, risk, and disaster prevention.
The AES states also plan to train local experts in space technology. Nigerien Communications Minister Sidi Mohamed Raliou said that the goal is not only to benefit from Russian technologies but also to train local experts to ensure the autonomous management of these infrastructures in the long term.